PROBIOTICS: THE UNDERVALUED CONQUERORS

ABSTRACTProbiotics or beneficial microorganisms†have recently acquired the status of blockbusters in the pharmaceutical industry. Despite being commerciallyavailable, little is known about the magnitude to which they can contribute to various disease conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, allergy,immunity, etc. this review dwells into the various mechanisms of actions of probiotics and summarizes the numerous benefits of these daily usedproducts, including the recent advances. It also emphasizes on the possible unfavorable consequences, which can result due to their extensive use.Keywords: Probiotics, Allergy, Immunity, Inflammatory bowel disease

Insulin delivery: what is new in the queue?

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a cluster of  metabolic disorders with the shared feature of hyperglycemia which may be due to discrete etiopathogenesis. India stands to be the diabetic capital of the world, second only to China. After its discovery by Banting and Best, it has been established that insulin plays a fundamental role in the management of DM. In spite of insulin being in the market for so long, what still remains a challenge is the invasive approach of its administration. Conventional pharmacotherapeutic approaches of insulin delivery that have been available over the years are insulin syringes, pumps and pens. Upcoming innovative modes of insulin delivery include oral insulin, inhaled insulin, colonic insulin delivery, transdermal insulin, intra-peritoneal insulin, intra-nasal insulin, nano-technology etc. Constant research has been going on since many years to discover a route of administration for insulin that is minimally or noninvasive, effective, safe, convenient and cost-effective for patients. If successful, alternative routes of administration could revolutionize the treatment of DM and help improve patients’ quality of life

Possible adverse drug reaction to parenteral amino acids in an infant: a case report

A case report of a possible adverse drug reaction to 10% parenteral aminoacid formulation in a 5½ month male patient diagnosed with bronchopulmonary pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome in septic shock, is presented. There was a temporal relationship between the administration of the parenteral amino acid formulation and the onset of the exanthem. This was further evidenced by the regression of the exanthem following the discontinuation of the formulation. The causality assessment of this adverse drug reaction has been done, and the likely causes of this hypersensitivity reaction have been analyzed

Psammocarcinoma of ovary with serous cystadenofibroma of contralateral ovary: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Psammocarcinoma of ovary is a rare serous neoplasm characterized by extensive formation of psammoma bodies, invasion of ovarian stroma, peritoneum or intraperitoneal viscera, and moderate cytological atypia. Extensive medlar search showed presence of only 28 cases of psammocarcinoma of ovary reported till date.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We herein report a case of psammocarcinoma of ovary with serous cystadenofibroma of contralateral ovary in a 55 year old Asian Indian female.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To the best of author's knowledge, ours is the rare case describing coexistence of this very rare malignant serous epithelial tumor with a benign serous cystadenofibroma of contralateral ovary.</p

EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial and Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment Study: Looking beyond the obvious

With the addition of sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors to the current arsenal of oral antidiabetics (OAD), a lot has changed. From questioning their glucouretic mechanism to understanding their pleiotropic effects, it has been an eventful journey. In 2008, after the rosiglitazone fiasco, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandate was passed to ensure the safety of the OAD. Up to the gliptins, there was an era of cardiovascular (CV) safety which progressed to CV protection with the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial. It came with a lot of questions regarding the probable mechanism and the doubts of whether it will translate into a class effect or not. After the Canagliflozin CV Assessment Study results, a lot of things have come into light regarding the overall benefits with these molecules. This review highlights the similarities and dissimilarities in the two trial results

Evaluating LDL-C control in Indian acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients- A retrospective real-world study LDL-C control in ACS

Background: Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) progression. Although lipid lowering therapies remain the cornerstone of secondary ACSVD prevention, there exists residual dyslipidemia. The current study aimed to evaluate the real-world experience related to the treatment patterns and LDL-C control in Indian Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) patients. Methods: This was a real-world, descriptive, retrospective, observational, and multicentric study conducted across India. The data was collected for 1 year following the ACS event. The change in the levels of LDL-C from the baseline to the follow-up visits and the control of LDL-C, the change in lipid profile, lipoprotein levels, treatment patterns for lipid-lowering, and tolerability of existing treatments were evaluated. Results: Overall, 575 patients were included from 11 centers across India. The mean age of the patients was 52.92 years, with male predominance (76.35%). Although there was a significant reduction in the mean levels of LDL-C from the baseline [(122.64 ± 42.01 mg/dl to 74.41 ± 26.45 mg/dl (p < 0.001)], it was observed that despite high-intensity statin therapy, only 20.87% patients managed to achieve target LDL-C of <55 mg/dL and 55.65% were unable to reach LDL-C levels of <70 mg/dl one year after the event. Six patients reported adverse events without treatment discontinuation. Conclusion: The majority of the patients received high-intensity statins and did not attain target LDL-C levels, suggesting LDL-C control after an ACS event requires management with novel therapies having better efficacy as recommended by international and national guidelines